MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF NSP4 CODING GENE OF PORCINE ROTAVIRUS IN BRAZIL

Resumo

The non-structural protein 4 (NSP4) has different roles in rotaviral replication, morphogenesis, and enterotoxin-like activity causing secretory diarrhea. A total of 11 partial nucleotide sequences of NSP4 coding gene were defined from group A rotavirus circulating in Brazilian swine herds. On comparing the viral sequences of diarrheagenic peptide area (amino acid 114-135), there was a single point mutation at amino acid 135 presented by two strains with amino acid alanine, and valine in the others. The NSP4 gene phylogeny showed that all strains clustered into E1 genotype, and the nucleotide identity between Brazilian strains ranged from 92.4% and 100%, while the putative amino acid identity, between 95.8% and 100%. Only one site (138aa) was positively selected and at least 119 were negatively selected. As a conclusion, these data demonstrate the occurrence of a common NSP4 genotype described elsewhere in pigs and low diversity between the samples from the surveyed areas.